Nine-year-old Paitlyn Barger, a student at Northwest Elementary in Butler, has been among the top seller of Girl Scout cookies for her Daisy group, now Brownies. SUBMITTED PHOTO

What is a go-getter? Nine-year-old Paitlyn Barger, a student at Northwest Elementary in Butler is the very definition of a go-getter. Since 2019, Paitlyn has been among the top seller of Girl Scout cookies for her Daisy group, now Brownies, which has helped her to become quite enterprising.

Paitlyn is the daughter of Cory and Amber Barger of Butler who said they couldn’t be more proud of their daughter, who now holds the honor of “Double Super Seller” for Girl Scout Troop #28814.

Of selling cookies, Paitlyn said, “Not only do we get to give back to organizations in our communities, but we also get to have fun at our meetings, go on adventures, earn badges and learn new things. I really do love being a Girl Scout.”

In 2019, Paitlyn sold 325 boxes, and her goal was to increase sales each year so that her troop could do more for its community. She has been able to reach this goal each year since and sold 1,067 boxes of cookies for the 2022 season.

Paitlyn created a marketing letter that she sends out each year detailing her aspirations not only to support her troop but also her community.

According to Paitlyn, the sales from her troop have benefited the Kids Weekend Backpack Program, Butler County Humane Society, and Blessings Foster Care Ministry.

The troop has been able to purchase Thanksgiving dinners for local families, too, as well as purchasing flowers for the township building where the troop meets twice a month. With the help of a father of one of the troop’s members, they also built a Little Free Library that is set up on the campus of Butler Community College for which all of the girls in the troop donated new or slightly used books for anyone to enjoy.

People sometimes do not purchase cookies due to dietary issues, but Paitlyn wants others to know that there is an option to purchase cookies for donation.

“Our troop for the past three years has donated cookies to our local frontline workers which include not only medical professionals, but also police, EMT, and fire departments,” she said. “Last year, we took leftover cookies from our booth sales and donated them to the Butler Heroes Group.”

Paitlyn said she is having fun, but learning skills as well. Her entrepreneurship could likely benefit her and those around her far into the future.